Construction phase of Phoenixville streetscapes nearing completion

Pedestrians and motorist take note - you should expect to see the major construction along Bridge Street in downtown Phoenixville wrap up by the end of October.

That is what the Phoenix Reporter & Item gathered on Oct. 1 from two reliable sources – Phoenixville Borough Manager E. Jean Krack and Rob Monaghan of Scott Contractors – the firm performing in the streetscapes work.

Krack said it is highly probable that the “major construction” will be done before Nov. 1, and was very clear to expand on that point by stating that the full contract will not likely be complete until the end of 2013. The full contract requires that non-structural and aesthetic elements, such as vegetative plantings set for in late October/early November, will also need to be seen through; and then there is fulfillemnt of what Krack called the “Punch List” – a final intimate inspection to ensure that all aspects of the construction are in line with the contract.

Krack added that borough employees are already out every day keeping an eye on the progression of the project.

Monaghan and his Scott Contractors team have been working on the project since March. The Norristown-based company has three five-man crews on the project – a demolitions crew, a concrete crew, and a paving crew. They have built and continue to build new sidewalks, handicap accessible curbs, stormwater inlets, street lights, drive aprons and more along Bridge Street from Main Street to Nutt Road – barring a stretch on one side of the road from Barto Pool & Spa to Wheatland Avenue, which has been excluded from the plan (for reasons which Monaghan would not share on the record and Krack respectfully declined to comment on presently, though he stated that he will comment on the matter at a future date).

“We expect to wrap up in October,” Monaghan said as he pulled off a pair of work gloves and opened the lockbox on his company fleet truck to leaf though a log book to confirm the March start date of the streetscape work. He then walked back to the intersection of Main and Bridge Streets and gave a quick encapsulation of what is left to be done there.

“Once the demo crew and concrete crew are done here then we will bring in the paving crew,” he said.

According to Krack, the Main and Bridge Street intersection will require such a transformation that he named dates for when the borough expects to close it entirely to traffic.

“Our target (dates are Oct.) 8th and 9th… …so that we can get the crews in,” he said. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done so that (the difference in pavement height) at Main and Bridge gets balanced.”